Ggm: IMD issues yellow alert for thunderstorms

Gurugram may see relief from heat with thunderstorms and hailstorms forecasted this week, while power cuts and poor air quality persist.

Gurugram residents might get relief from the heat as the city is likely to receive thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds on Sunday, and hailstorms coupled with a light spell of rain on Monday and Tuesday due to a western disturbance, according to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast issued on Saturday.

The city recorded a maximum temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius on Saturday, 2.7 degrees above normal and a minimum of 26.1°C. (HT)

The IMD has also issued a yellow alert for Sunday due to anticipated thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 40-50 kmph, followed by a two-day orange alert due to hailstorms and a brief rain spell on Monday and Tuesday.

“The brief interruption in the intense summer spell is expected to bring partial relief for residents from heat wave conditions in the following week, when the mercury will likely settle between 32 to 34°C.,” a senior IMD official said.

The city recorded a maximum temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius on Saturday, 2.7 degrees above normal and a minimum of 26.1°C. According to the IMD’s bulletin, there will be no significant changes in temperatures over the next 24 hours, but thereafter, drop by 2-4 degrees until Tuesday.

Gurugram recorded the maximum of 41°C on April 28, the highest this summer season. The temperatures remained between 35.4°C and 38.1°C during this week.

Amid hot weather, the city continued to experience power cuts, with brief outages of up to 1 hour reported at nearly 50 locations across the district, according to the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHVBN) live-outage data. Residents from sectors 99 to 102, 66, 46, 43, and Badshahpur locality continue to report frequent interruptions.

“Slotted power cuts of two to three-hour intervals occur at any time in Sector 46. The authorities must take note of demand adjustments beforehand and prepare for the summer months accordingly,” said Shivraj Mehta, a resident.

A senior DHVBN official, who wished not to be named, said prior information about disruptions is disseminated through messaging groups. “Disruptions mostly occur in areas where line work or maintenance is underway. No major disruptions have been reported except for a few episodes,” he said.

Meanwhile, the air quality index rose to 154 (poor) on Saturday, up from 118 (moderate) on Friday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin.